Project Description
Our Campus Sustainability efforts started at the beginning of the Fall 2022 semester after the project won a majority vote within our club. This project was largely inspired by the international students that had joined our club, and were surprised at to find that URI lacked some of the eco-friendly infrastructure and habits they were used to. This team's goal is to promote sustainable practices around campus, including recycling and energy-use reduction.
Divisions
Gathering Information
We want to know what YOU think about campus sustainability! In the beginning of this project, a google form was sent out to members and posted on our website to gather information on what areas students were most concerned about. If initiatives don't have an enthusiastic backing to them, many will fail. Therefore it is important we understand what people are interested in as we strive to make an eco-friendly campus.
Collaboration
URI isn't the only sustainably minded club on campus! It's very possible that independent clubs such as SAS, Horticulture Club, and URI Wildlife Society may be pushing for the same initiatives as we are, so it's important to keep in touch and support each other as we aim to make our campus- and world, a better place. The 'Sustainability Forum', which ESW proposed in Fall 2022, provides a framework for collaborating across clubs.
Changing Habits
Our survey indicated that the main areas of student concern related to sustainability were waste management and electricity usage. While some of these are systemic problems which are addressed at a university-wide scale, some of it involves simple habits like turning off the lights when you leave a room, taking the stairs instead of an elevator if you are able, and picking up litter as you see it.
University Change
As you might expect, University-wide changes are the hardest to implement. Not only is URI a business whose reputation matters, but layers of bureaucracy, general business, and funding problems mean that changes take time. But this doesn't mean we shouldn't try! Emissions transparency and composting food waste in dining halls are some examples of projects that have gotten off the ground in the last few years.